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My 17 year old wants an aussie and i am on the fence b/c she is at school then works and has after school activites-I can walk him but it is going to be her dog-she plans to pay and exercise it when she can- we also have a labradoodle- I am not sure how they will get along
sounds like the dog will wind up being YOUR responsibility.... not the 17 y/o's ...... i would hold off..... as you probably read in the above posts, they are a lot of dog that need a lot of time, exercise and stimulation..... they are not dogs that can just be taken out and played with when it is convenient for the owner........
sounds like the dog will wind up being YOUR responsibility.... not the 17 y/o's ...... i would hold off..... as you probably read in the above posts, they are a lot of dog that need a lot of time, exercise and stimulation..... they are not dogs that can just be taken out and played with when it is convenient for the owner........
He will be outside with another dog most of the time
I convinced my daughter to wait until she graduated college and told her I would buy her a dog then - a good dog of her choice. She just had to research the breed and tell me what she wanted. I would support an adoption as well and gift her the fees and first vet visits.
I think that 7 hours is fine as long as you honestly realize that once you get home you can't just leave again. How often do teachers have to attend school functions at night? Do you have to take education classes as night to stay certified? Plan on having a social life?
Coming home walking, going back out, coming home and going to bed leaves your dog alone all but about 2-3 hours a day and I don't think thats fair.
Are you single or will they have other family to interact with in the afternoon and evenings?
Having been a single Aussie owner I loved my Aussie but found it was a huge responsibility and very much limited my life because I refused to leave him alone after him having been alone all day.
I don't think I'd be single with one dog again. I'd feel like I had to have two so the dog had company. Of course two is even a greater responsibility in other ways.
He will be outside with another dog most of the time
just know this .... a bored dog can quickly turn into a destructive dog.... aussies are highly intelligent ..... and get bored quickly if not physically AND mentally exercised on a regular basis........
I have an 18 month old Red-Tri Standard Aussie, who also happens to be named Aussie. We got him when he was 8 weeks old. I have never owned a dog as an adult. I live in a one bedroom apartment. My two children, ages 11 and 10 spend half the time with me. I work 8 hour days, five days a week. I do have a dog walker about once or twice a week, and daycare once a week. He used to need dog daycare twice a week, but he is getting better at staying home alone. I do jog him 5 miles in the morning before I go to work, and then hide food in toys before I leave. It's a committment, but when they win your heart, as all Aussies do, you won't mind doing it. Besides, I'm in the best shape of my life. LOL. When I get home, I change and take him out for some walking and fetch. Sometimes in the evenings, he still needs a little bit more, so we play fetch in the apartment while dad watches TV. This used to be every night, but now when I put that ball up for the night, he settles down. When he was younger, and I just didn't want to play fetch anymore, at say, 8 o'clock, he would still try to entice me into other games of his choosing. So I can definitely see the maturity kicking it, even at only 18 months. Happy Aussie owner that now has a flat stomach.
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